Fire
by DarkMyst
Summary: The story is moving pretty slow ^^;;; sorry.....: During the war, a young devastated women meets a certain Miburo.....A Saitou/Tokio fic
1. xx

Author¡¯s Note: UGHHHHHHHHH I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s Saitoh or Saito or Saitou¡¦I¡¯m using Saitou so have mercy. Oh and I don¡¯t own any of the Rurouni Kenshin characters¡¦.bleh ^^

Pain.

Like fire, engulfing my heart, drying my throat, and stinging my eyes.

I numbly stared at my brother¡¯s limp body, my mind unable to comprehend the sight in front of me. Thick crimson liquid splattered and painted his body leaving a dry sick odor in the cold winter¡¯s wind.

No! Takeru! My mind fiercely cried, at heart weeping and mourning.

Please not him, let it be another man that only looks like him- oh just not Takeru! 

  
My legs grew weak and wobbly. Unable to stand, I fell on my knees. ¡°¡¦.no¡± I wept, a rain of tears sliding my face. ¡°Not him too¡¦¡±

The news had been the hardest for my father. Kyoto was not safe anymore. Massive murders and mysterious deaths have now become frequent. When my third and last brother Takeru died, my father broke down. The deaths of his three sons has shattered his heart. 

After Takeru¡¯s burial I had vowed to find this murderer and avenge my brothers¡¯ deaths. I would find the killer and make sure he would suffer the injury he has caused to our family. 

I smiled despite myself, biting back a hysterical laugh. I was the only heir of the Takagi¡¦daughter of high samurai official Takagi Kojuurou. I would have to look after myself. Who knows if the bastard killer wanted the end of the name Takagi? 

Dismissing my mad visions of revenge, I sat outside. The wind was cold.

I blinked back a wave of tears and looked up at the rising sun¡¦he should be here any moment¡¦-

¡°Tokio san!¡±

I squinted at a tall running figure making his way towards me.

¡°Eh?¡± I turned and gave Ijaou a small smile, ¡°You¡¯re late¡±

Ijaou panted, ¡°Damned Shinsengumi blocking up all the roads¡± 

I frowned, ¡°Are the Shinsengumi still here? It¡¯s a pity that their existence is useless¡±

Yes the Shinsengumi or the Miburo, an organization of samurais parading around Kyoto, their duty to protect Kyoto¡¯s citizens. Instead, the Shinsengumi itself was a threat to Kyoto. They used fear and evil deeds in order to get what they wanted. Like a pack of hungry wolves, they stalked these streets day and mostly night. Even with the Shinsengumi here, nothing has changed. The word death has not been uncommon these days. 

¡°Watch that tongue little lady¡¦they¡¯ll give you a hard time if they heard you talking like that¡± he grinned, ¡°Although the little lady does have some abilities to wield a sword¡±

I laughed as I unsheathed my katana, ¡°Shall we start our training?¡±

Sweat trickled down my eyebrows and in my eyes. Ignoring the sting, I restrained my blinking reflex and concentrated on Ijaou. I held my sword pointing at Ijaou¡¯s face as his pointed at mine. 

  
¡±Your strokes are too stiff and rigid- try to move more like¡¦water¡±

I blinked and snorted, ¡°I still haven¡¯t done it right?¡±

Ijaou sighed, ¡°You¡¯re only focused on power, while you should be focused on speed and defense. You can¡¯t win the battle like this¡±

¡°The only thing I¡¯ve been doing all day was blocking your blows¡± I dryly retorted, my face heating up from embarrassment.

Ijaou broke my steady glance, turning his head to the side. ¡°You have potential Tokio, but what good is it if you are not willing to harness it?¡±

¡°I do want to master sword fighting! I have practiced-¡±

¡°You need more determination Tokio¡¦something¡¯s holding you back and you need to let that go¡±

The blush on my cheeks might have reddened even more as the heat creeping my face increased.

Angrily, I slowly whispered, ¡° I want to learn¡¦but¡± I faltered, watching a strange light flicker in Ijaou¡¯s dark eyes. 

¡°¡¦but I¡¯m afraid¡±

Ijaou broke into a smile, ¡°Well that¡¯s understandable¡±

I shrewdly glared at him, ¡°It is?¡±

Ijaou shrugged carelessly, ¡°Scared of what Tokio?¡±

¡°Eh?¡± Surprised I dropped my sword, ¡°¡¦.eh¡¦none of your business!¡±

Ijaou laughed, ¡°Alright then!¡± His carefree eyes danced.

¡°Hmph¡°

¡°Tokio¡¦¡±

¡° It¡¯s just that-I¡¯m afraid¡¦.afraid I won¡¯t be able to defend myself¡¦.that I¡¯d end up like¡¦all of them¡± I cautiously spoke

¡°Idiot¡± Ijaou grumbled, ¡°Is that what your scared of?¡±

¡°¡¦.I guess¡±

¡°Let¡¯s resume our lesson¡±

I shrugged, ¡°What are you scared of Ijaou san? I mean- what¡¯s your fear in life?¡±

Ijaou paused before replying, ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of death Tokio san-¡°

¡°Then what-¡±

A dark wave of emotion flashed in Ijaous¡¯ eyes. ¡°Tokio san¡¦you¡¯re still young- twenty?¡±

I said nothing.

¡°I¡¯m afraid of taking another man¡¯s life¡± Ijaou painfully smiled, ¡°Call me a coward but I do not wish to harm and destroy a body¡±

I froze, ¡°Ijaou san¡¦.¡±

A light chuckle, ¡°To kill or to be killed is inevitable¡¦these days¡¦¡±

Silence

¡°I¡¯d rather be killed¡±

Those words tore my heart, unable to fight these rising emotions I raised my hand and struck his cheek.

¡°Fool! Do you know how much you mean to my father? Your parents? To me?¡±

I glared at him, slowly watching him touch his burning cheek.

¡°Sorry¡± there was remorse in his eyes.

¡°You¡¯re like a brother to me Ijaou! If you don¡¯t learn how to-to fight and kill¡¦¡±

¡°I¡¯d surely be dead by next week¡¦I know¡¦.Tokio san, ever since Takeru died- I have no will to fight¡± He continued, ¡°I guess now my purpose in this life is to teach his sister how to master the sword¡±

I gazed at my dead brother¡¯s best friend, ¡°Ijaou san- you moron¡±

Ijaou sighed, ¡°Teaching this brat ¡®s gonna be pretty hard¡±

¡°WHAT?¡± with a fluid movement, I took off my sandal and smacked his face.

I nodded and returned Ijaou¡¯s smile with a smirk, ¡°I guess that¡¯s enough for today¡±

¡°I should be getting back to the store¡± Ijaou groaned, ¡°A lot of customers during the afternoon¡±

I agreed and waved goodbye as Ijaou¡¯s retreating dark figure silently disappeared.

Shopping

  
To Hell with shopping.

To the darkest of pits with shopping.

Curse this.

Ignoring a pair of giggling girls arguing about the prices of the fish, I stalked angrily around the market unable to identify Ijaou¡¯s bakery. 

¡°Move out of the way! The Shinsengumi¡¯s first unit has arrived to patrol the area!¡±

I disgustedly rolled my eyes. Patrol? I snorted, more like cause havoc to the helpless.

Ignoring the hollering man, I resumed my search of the bakery.

¡°The suspect should be here right now¡±

¡°The one that is responsible for the recent killings?¡±

¡°Yes, the Takagi brothers, Shingi boy, Caratoi-¡±

¡°Call for unit three¡±

I froze, my feet unwilling to move. Have I just heard what I heard?

My ears instantly caught the hush of soft whispers. The killer? Here? In the markets? My hand instantly reached and touched my katana. Peeking at the speakers, I spotted Okita Souji, Shinsengumi¡¯s captain of unit one, and an Shinsengumi soldier. After an exchange of a few words, Souji nodded, as the soldier rushed off silently.

Each giant thump my heart made and the loud quick breaths I made, caused the situation to be more frightening than usual. The killer of my brothers¡¦here? In the same market? Absurd! But if it were true¡¦.my fingers unconsciously rested on the handle of my sword. There would indeed be blood spilled.

¡°Miss?¡±

Startled I dropped my shopping basket.

I whirled around.

Okita Souji.

Panic rising from my stomach I stuttered.

Calm down.

Calm

Feel beautiful weather¡¯s sun.

Peace.

¡°Y-Yes?¡±

The young captain grinned, ¡°Might I ask for your han?¡±

¡°Me? I¡¯m Takagi Tokio-¡± I silently cursed myself for my rushed breathless introduction.

The seemingly innocent captain Souji did not look surprised, ¡°Ah¡¦.Takagi? What were you doing behind the fish stand?¡±

¡°Eh?!¡± my eyes widened. How could he have seen me eavesdrop? Was this man serious?

Stupid stupid¡¦.curse the Shinsengumi and their-their sharp eyes.

¡°You wouldn¡¯t have happened to have heard the interesting conversation I had with my recruit?¡±

I felt myself blush, angrily I said, ¡°I did no such thing¡± 

With that said, I turned briskly and stomped away, only to feel a hand on my shoulder.

¡°Sumimasen, I didn¡¯t mean to offend you¡± Souji¡¯s voice tickled my ear.

I opened my mouth for another retort. Swiftly Souji¡¯s precise hands flew to my katana, drawing my sword out.

¡°What would a woman need a sword for Tokio san?¡±

My eyes widened at Souji¡¯s speed. Quickly I narrowed my eyes and gritted my teeth, the feeling of defenselessness was choking me. ¡°Give me my sword Shinsengumi¡±

A smile played on Souji¡¯s lips, ¡°Very rare for a girl to be carrying a sword around¡¦¡±

¡°Amused?¡± I dryly replied, ¡°Everyone here, especially women, should be armed¡±

Souji nodded offering my sword back, I swiped it away.

¡° I could see you practice your sword¡± Souji pointed out.

¡°Shouldn¡¯t you go find the killer of yours-¡° my mouth clamped shut and humiliation swept me.

Souji laughed, ¡°So you were listening¡±

Stupid 

Stupid

Stupid

  
Stupid

¡°Hey you! Leave Tokio alone!¡± a familiar hand rested my shoulder.

Ijaou laid a protective arm in front of me, ¡°Souji, captain of troops one?¡¯

Souji grinned, ¡°It would be best if you didn¡¯t interfere with the Shinsengumi investigation¡± his eyes on mine.

¡°What?¡± Ijaou spat

¡°I must be off- It was a pleasure meeting you Tokio san¡± Souji turned.

Watching the Shinsengumi gracefully walk away, I smacked my forehead, ¡°Ijaou¡¦.thanks¡±

Ijaou remained silent until, ¡°Damn that Shinsengumi¡¦does harassing girls serve as their daily routine?¡¯ 

I didn¡¯t answer. There was a killer walking around somewhere here, I remembered.

I ignored the thought of Souji¡¯s warning and tugged Ijaou¡¯s sleeve, ¡°Ijaou san¡±

¡°What-¡±

An explosion behind me knocked my knees to the ground, as Ijaou reflexively covered his body over mine.

  
What on earth?

My ears hurt at the sound of screaming people. The sound of death.

¡°Tokio are you alright?¡± 

I met Ijaou¡¯s concerned dark eyes and noticed his bleeding arm, ¡°Ijaou san!¡±

His eyes followed mine and waved dismissively, ¡°Run Tokio¡±

¡°No!¡± I stopped when I saw fire on buildings and stores, ¡°A bomb?¡±

A hard shake aroused my trance and I cried, ¡°Ijaou there¡¯s an assassin here¡±

¡°The Shinsengumi are here so don¡¯t worry¡± Ijaou coughed, ¡°What assassin? Did that Shinsengumi tell you that?¡±

¡°No¡± my eyes frantically stared at the chaos in front of us. Rubbles of wood and products spewed to the ground, fire was clawing from one building to another. Some bodies lay unmoving. ¡°I-I overheard him- he-he said that the killer was here¡±

¡°What killer?¡± Ijaou shook me

¡°The one who killed my brothers¡± my voice came out in a dull flat tone.

Ijaou¡¯s eyes widened, his grasp on my arm tightened, ¡°Go Tokio run-find a Shimsengumi and have him escort you home¡±

¡°What?¡±

Ignoring my cry, Ijaou jumped up his jaws clenched, his hand on his katana. 

¡°Ijaou san!¡±

Without a word, Ijaou sprinted towards the burning buildings.


	2. Fight

A.N: bleh bleh = )

Struggling and scolding my dead legs, I forced myself up wiping my bangs away from my eyes.

Ijaou san, my mind cried, go help him! Take revenge!

¡°Come on Takagi run!¡± my head screamed at my disobedient wobbly legs.

I took a deep breath and focused my ki, must run. 

And I ran.

When I heard those words from her lips- I had to fight this last battle. My shoulder lay limply by my side from the explosion, but I felt no pain. I had to fight. This one fight for Takeru and for Tokio¡¦

I had to.

The smoke was invading the air in my lungs, the heat pressing onto my shirt. 

Refusing defeat from fire, I started to run- got to find that bastard. My hands tightened on my sword.

¡°Ijaou san!¡± Tokio¡¯s voice called

I could sense the fear in her voice.

I had to focus.

I knew that stubborn girl would refuse to retreat from trouble. But at least I would save her pure hands from the dirtiness of killing.

¡°Huh?¡± I squinted despite the blazing fire; a dark figure sauntered towards me.

As man walked, I noted he had a taste for black clothing. Evil. Radiating from his dark strong face down to his black outfit. ¡°Are you the murderer of the Takagi?¡± I screamed at him.

Lazily the man drew out his sword, not answering my question.

For honor

For revenge

Takeru, friend, this is all I could do.

¡°Where is the last Takagi heir?¡± the man spoke at last 

¡°You think I¡¯m gonna tell you-bastard¡± outraged I shook, ¡°You¡¯re not going through me¡±

¡°So be it¡± he smiled

I blinked, I could¡¯ve sworn that he was right in front of me. But all I could see was flames and no more. Damned bastard, disappeared-

A jolt of pain exploded my wounded shoulder, ¡°Shit¡±

Whirling I clashed blades with the man hidden in the shadows, the impact was so tremendous that it caused me to fall back a few feet.

¡°Not a bad swordsman¡± the cold voice cut through the wind

Concentrate.

My desperate pants for air slowly remained in control; I looked up to meet his stare. 

Ignoring the burn on my shoulder, I straightened and resumed my position.

A cold chuckle came from the stranger, ¡°It would be a shame to have you disposed¡±

I ignored the chill up my spine and focused on anger.

Killed Takeru, he¡¯s gonna kill Tokio-

¡°HYAAAA¡± the howl erupted my mouth as I rushed up to him, sword raised high above¡¦ I was going to kill him- I was-

I was in flames, the sword I held so tightly was gone- its blade shattered and his blade made its way through my stomach.

The heated steal through my abdomen burned, my energy drained, my body limp, I could feel blood flowing from my mouth and guts. God, the pain numbed my vision and hearing.

I couldn¡¯t feel the intruding sword releasing my stomach, nor could I feel my body hit the soil.

Pain.

It was cold.

Takeru- I guess I¡¯ll be joining you¡¦

Shit¡¦I thought I¡¯d never say this but¡¦the Shimsengumi are our only hope Tokio.

Tokio¡¦I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t be there. 

My heart¡¯s filled with despair and anguish. 

Tokio¡¦I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t protect you¡¦

I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t be with you to see the new era.

I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t-

¡°Ijaou you moron!¡± I yelled unable to see through smoke and rubble. 

I was gonna kill him.

Stupid idiot for making me feel helpless.

A sudden fear seized my heart. Oh God, please Ijaou be alive! Don¡¯t bring anymore weeping to my house.

¡°TOKIO SAN!¡±

¡°Ijaou!-¡° I whirled expectantly, but my heart fell to see the Shinsengumi, Souji.

¡°You must evacuate this area Tokio san-¡± Souji held my shoulders, his eyes burning, his cheeks dark from ash.

¡°Souji-san¡¦¡± I desperately held onto him, ¡°I need to find Ijaou! I can¡¯t find him-please¡±

Souji¡¯s boyish face darkened, ¡°Please you must¡±

No

He wasn¡¯t going to help.

Souji coughed violently and with a small smile apologized.

Noticing the mad look in my eyes Souji called out, ¡°Ameno! Get this girl out of here!¡± 

A bulky man wearing a Shinsengumi uniform ran to us and grabbed my arm, ¡°Come¡±

My eyes narrowed, I quickly pried his fingers off, and stepped back-quickly drawing my sword, ¡°Don¡¯t touch me¡±

Tearing my eyes from their confused looks, I fled, Ijaou san¡¦I¡¯m coming.

An assassin working for an unknown person, going by the name Choruke.

He was responsible for this mess, and there would be an unavoidable consequence. He would be executed of course preferable by me. I glanced at the fire consuming a building, paying no heed to cries of help and anguish.

I was no doctor. 

Just a wolf out in hunt for blood that needed to be spilled.

A small smiled played on my lips.

¡°Captain Saitou¡±

Without turning I waved my hand, ¡°Where¡¯s Okita?¡±

¡°His whereabouts are unknown but a stabbed body has been found.¡±

Interesting.

¡°What was the body¡¯s identification?¡±

¡°Unclear sir but Captain Souji is on the assassin-¡±

Okita, always a step ahead of me. Although he had got here first.

¡°Say no more- clear this mess, help the wounded. We can not risk anymore deaths.¡± I held on the recruit¡¯s gaze. ¡°There¡¯s only one man we are hunting¡¦I think we do not need help anymore help¡±

¡°Yes sir¡±

¡°Oh and one more thing- Where was this corpse?¡±

¡°East of the markets sir¡±

I grinned thinly amused.

Just another game of cat and mouse.

I fell at the point of exhaustion. Thankfully most of the fire had gone out and the chaos slightly gone. 

My eyes watered. If Ijaou san died- I¡¯d never forgive myself¡¦.never.

I quickly dried my eyes with the back of my sleeve.

Instinctively I spun around feeling a pair of eyes on me.

What the- 

A man stood before me, much taller than myself- an aura of darkness surrounded this man- could he be-?

¡°Choruke from Tokyo is it?¡± a voice called out.

I was momentarily confused. How could the man be speaking without opening his mouth unless-?

I caught a flash of a blue haori. A Shinsengumi? My astonishment turned into a scowl. How could I have NOT notice that Souji had been following me this whole time?

I glared at Souji who dared not look at me. However I noted a rare seriousness in his expression, which stopped me from throwing a sandal at him.

I gasped back in surprise as Souji ran towards the man name Choruke, his movements were graceful and perfect, drawing out and attacking with his sword. The attack from Souji was easily parried by Choruke¡¯s blade. 

A counter attack was made, with a spin and a backflip, Souji¡¯s blade catching Choruke¡¯s leg. 

As I watched with awe, Choruke howled with anger, his eyes darted and caught my gaze.

¡°GRRRRAA¡± I blinked and choked in horror as Choruke raised for an attack.

Aimed at me.

I rolled quickly dodging missing Choruke¡¯s blow by an inch. I quickly slashed at him, which he easily jumped away from.

Out of nowhere a blinding blur of Souji¡¯s feet slammed against Choruke¡¯s chest, sending him crashing hard on the floor. 

Gasping for breath, I refused to be exhausted.

Not now.

¡°Souji-stop- Let me¡± I panted

Souji stopped briefly and turned to me, ¡°What is it Tokio-san?¡±

¡°I have to fight this man¡± my eyes flickered to Choruke who stood up, recovered on that blow. ¡°Me only¡±

Doubt fogged Souji¡¯s eyes, but I ignored it. 

A loud chuckle came from Choruke who cautiously walked towards us, ¡°Let her fight- it seems she wishes to die like her boyfriend before her¡±

¡°What are you saying you son of a-¡± suddenly I felt my mouth go slack and my eyes widen. Ijaou san?

Dead? 

I gritted my teeth, ignoring the pain that stabbed my heart. Ijaou san¡¦

I slowly raised my katana in front of me, my face expressionless, and my voice dull, ¡°You are responsible for the death of my whole family- who do you work for- the Ishinshishi?¡±

Choruke barked a laugh.

¡°Silence!¡± I rushed up to him. Ijaou san! This is for you! 

I delivered my blow and found my blade in the air.

Damn- I have missed!

Concentrate, fool! 

Like the Wind

  
Like Water

I whirled around to block his assault. ¡°DIE TAKAGI!¡± 

I barely managed to parry off his angry attacks. 

Too Fast.

Pain in my shoulder and leg.

Backflipping to dodge his final blow, I fell heavily before Choruke¡¦.at his mercy.

Tears of anger and pain formed in my eyes, I cursed. 

¡°Tokio san!¡± Souji cried out, I scowled, ¡°Don¡¯t Souji san! I¡¯ll rather fight and have death, than be saved by a Shimsengumi and live¡±

Concentrate.

Do not use the sword.

Let your hands be with the sword.

I slashed fiercely at Choruke aiming for his legs. I have missed only by a few millimeters but I was satisfied by his surprised expression. 

Again!

I slashed reversed, from bottom up and managed to cut his chest. 

I only scratched him.

¡°What-¡± my eyes widened, never have I seen such speed. Choruke was¡¦.everywhere, his images all over, all smiling,¡¦taunting¡¦

¡°It seems that I have to use my full strength to surpass you Takagi¡± Choruke grinned.

A sudden cut appeared on my arm. 

Disbelief.

He was too fast. I couldn¡¯t even read his attack.

¡°Enough¡± a different voice called out. This voice was different. More deep and strong. A voice of a protector¡¦?, ¡°It would be a shame to say that this would be your full strength¡±

Takagi you loser! I inwardly smacked myself.

It wasn¡¯t the voice of Choruke or Souji, I wearily wondered who. I was frustrated for I couldn¡¯t see anything but Choruke.

A strong iron hand touched my shoulder, the flaring pain of it made my vision falter.

Who¡¦?

I was fading, I could not fight the darkness that blinded me. I was fainting?

Shit no! I couldn¡¯t!

I was falling.

No get up Takagi

Get up

Get up

Get up   
  
Get up

Get-


	3. Death

A bright light shined, hurting my eyes.

My head pounded, as I fought the jolts of pain on my shoulder and legs.

I slowly opened my eyes.

¡°Father?¡± my voice croaked, my vision slightly a blur.

I could barely see the figure of my father sitting in front of me, stroking my burning forehead.

¡°Tokio- shhhh rest¡± my father¡¯s blur moved closer to me.

I struggled to move, ¡°Father-¡±

¡°Kojuurou san, you must let her sit up¡± a stronger voice encouraged me; a strong pair of arms helping me sit up.

¡°Arigatou¡± I murmured, wiping the sweat off my forehead, ¡°Souji san-¡± I stared back at those innocent eyes.

I groaned, my headache grew worse.

¡°Let her sleep¡± I barely heard my father argue.

¡°Tokio¡¦.¡±

¡°Eh¡± I weakly replied

¡°Do you remember anything that happened two days ago?¡±

Two days?

Remember?

Did I forget something important?

Always forgetful.

Darn- wait

My eyes snapped shut, a memory, I could see fire¡¦.

  
Fire

?

What was that supposed to mean?

A cold realization knocked me down, I fell surprised towards father. Someone held me up.

I remembered¡¦.

¡°Ijaou san¡¦¡± my eyes began to hurt more, stinging- ouch

Why wouldn¡¯t this headache go away?

Pounding

Ringing

Tears fell from my eyes, ¡°He¡¯s dead¡±

Before I could say anymore, my mind completely blanked out, the light was gone.

Dark.

I had watched the tomboy girl cry and faint afar, by the door.

Such weakness I did not wish to see but I could not help feeling fascinated by it.

So she remembered.

My jaws tightened, the sting of failure still burned.

With a grunt of disgust, I motioned for Okita to follow; I still had no idea why we were here.

I came under the persuasion of Okita.

¡°Saitou¡¦.I feel bad for her¡± Okita¡¯s soft voice continued as he slowly closed the door of Takagi¡¯s room, ¡°She¡¯s still in danger¡±

I shrugged nonchalantly, ¡°We¡¯ll keep a close eye on her- what¡¯s her name?¡±

¡°Takagi Tokio¡±

So Tokio.

A simple name, easy to remember, and easy to forget.

¡°Saitou san- why so quiet?¡±

I narrowed my eyes, but gave no reply.

¡°So you¡¯re still moaning over Choruke¡¯s escape?¡± Okita¡¯s light voice brought a scowl to my lips.

¡°I do not worry about Choruke, is already a dead man¡± I leaned against the wall, ¡°I¡¯m wondering about Takagi Kojuurou¡±

Okita¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Takagi?¡±

¡°Why would he oppose such a threat to the man behind Choruke?¡± I fingered my katana, ¡°Is there something about the Takagi we don¡¯t know about?¡±

Okita grinned, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about old Kojuurou san, I would worry about the girl- Tokio san¡±

I snorted, ¡°The girl is too weak to even stand, Okita-she¡¯s no threat¡±

Okita stubbornly continued, ¡°If you had been there earlier, she was magnificent- she fights like a warrior¡±

¡°So the tomboy is a rebel with a sword.¡± My mind flashed to the girl¡¯s flushed face, her desperate dark eyes, wild hair tied into a bun, ¡°She has feline grace-but she does no harm. Only Takagi Kojuurou, whom I¡¯ve heard had an unfortunate distaste of the Shinsengumi¡±

Before Okita could reply, Takagi Kojuurou appeared, his face down, his hands trembling.

Worried for his daughter no doubt.

¡°Thank you¡± Kojuurou bowed, ¡°For saving my daughter¡±

Okita bowed in reply, I nodded acknowledging the man.

¡°I hope she gets better Kojuurou san¡± Okita earnestly 

¡°Yes¡± Kojuurou sighed.

¡°Until next time Takagi san¡± I slowly walked out, Okita closely followed.

The main door shut behind us.

Okita coughed softly.

¡°Your cold still hasn¡¯t gone¡± I noted

Okita froze before smiling, ¡°Don¡¯t worry Saitou san I think it¡¯s almost gone¡±

I gave a nod.

¡°Okita you should head back to your recruits¡±

¡°What about you Saitou san?¡±

¡°I¡¯ll remain around here¡± I glanced at Okita¡¯s confused look, ¡°I¡¯ve already spoken to my troop¡±

Okita let a out a small sigh, ¡°You¡¯re not thinking of finding Choruke by yourself are you?¡±

I let myself smile, ¡°I have better things to do¡±

Okita¡¯s smile vanished, ¡°You aren¡¯t planning on questioning Kojuurou san-¡±

I didn¡¯t reply.

Okita was far too perceptive for his own good.

¡°Well then- I¡¯ll see you when you return Saitou san¡± Okita waved his hand

I raised a hand and dropped it.

Takagi Kojuurou

Something was not right

Cold, I snapped awake.

Cold cold, I shivered clutching my blankets.

Tokio get a hold of yourself, I scolded myself.

The pain from missing Ijaou was still there- but the pain lessened.

I hope you¡¯re happy up there with Takeru, I softly sighed.

I jumped up from my bed; I could feel the messiness of my hair.

Last night I dreamt my whole memory from two days ago.

Choruke

Souji

And-and another mysterious man- I forget I think I fainted before I saw him.

Dressing quickly, I ignored the dull pain my head was feeling.

I had to find Souji- my partial memory returned, I needed to find out what had happened-

I sighed, the aching in my legs had ceased but my shoulder still burned.

I nearly cried when I changed into comfortable clothing.

¡°Come in¡± I softly called, hearing quiet thumps knock on my door.

¡°Tokio¡± my father exclaimed, rushing up to hug me.

I was surprised to see relief and happiness in his eyes, ¡°Father¡±

I guess in his heart, he cared for me- although not as much as my brothers.

I was his only family- as He was my only family.

¡°I¡¯m glad to see you well,¡± he murmured.

  
I pushed the locks of hair away from my eyes.

¡°How long have I been out?¡±

¡°You have awoken earlier this morning from the two days rest-its night now¡±

I remembered that I have not been so well earlier. 

¡°Father- I must go out to see the Shin-¡±

¡°No¡± a stern look passed my father¡¯s face, ¡°You will rest for the week¡±

¡°A whole WEEK?!?¡± I gaped outraged, ¡°But-But my¡±

¡°Your wounds haven¡¯t fully healed-yet- not a word Tokio¡± father scolded.

I blinked, and after biting my tongue and thinking furiously for moment I nodded, ¡°I respect your wish father¡±

Pleased at my rare obedience he put a gentle hand on my shoulder, ¡°Rest Tokio, and after you do I have something important to tell you¡±

My eyes rose up in curiosity.

Father grinned, turning to the door, ¡°Rest my daughter¡±

I heavily sighed after watching the door shut.

Sorry father, but there are some things that need answering.

Without hesitating, I jumped on my bed opening my window.

I quickly grabbed a small dagger- just in case the Shinsengumi were as horrible as they were rumored to be.

Stuffing some extra clothes under my blanket-as a decoy- I looked back satisfied with my masterpiece.

Without a moment¡¯s waste, I jumped lightly, kicking the sidewall and hopping out to the open window.

Freedom.

I landed outside with a small thump.

Ignoring the flash of pain the jump cost my shoulder; I carefully and quietly stood up.

¡°Hehe you could never hold Tokio captive¡± I grinned despite myself.

With careful soft steps, my view of the house slowly disappeared, and I found myself standing awkwardly in the middle of an open street.

¡°Eh¡± I muttered, waving hellos to the familiar people who walked by.

A sudden scream sounded from my right.

What?!

I ran and skidded into a crowd of frightened people, whispering and crying.

What was going on?

I pushed myself towards the core of the crowded bunch and stopped short.

I could feel the blood drain from my face.

An elderly man lay in a grotesque position, his eyes still open, fresh blood dribbling from his mouth. 

What-

Who

My eyes fluttered closed, my heart dismayed.

I know- my eyes snapped open.

¡°Who did this¡± my voice came out as a dangerously quiet growl.

The crowd¡¯s buzz instantly died. 

Perhaps they were not used to a girl ordering them around

  
Perhaps they were not used to such a command

No matter¡¦

¡°Who¡± I softly commanded.

¡°Miss- a young girl found his body just a hour ago- we don¡¯t know who did it¡± a young man stepped up.

¡°Go- everyone back home- I see that this old man had no family¡± I glanced sadly at his body, ¡°I¡¯ll clean and bury him myself¡±

Slowly one by one, people backed away- soon the streets were empty.

The dead silence that I needed was here.

I kneeled to the body, the blood slightly made my head spin, but I forced myself to wipe the blood from the man¡¯s chest.

¡°Oh my go-¡± I whispered, seeing a burnt black slash on his chest.

I never knew the wound was this deep.

I looked at my hands disgusted at the blood drying.

I stared back at the man, ¡°Well he died quickly¡± I sighed, 

No one was here to mourn for him.

Filled with sympathy, I gently closed his eyes.

  
A sudden feeling of darkness overwhelmed me¡¦.what was it?

As if instinctively, I whirled around, seeing a tall threatening figure saunter towards me- quietly- dangerously.

My eyes widened as I recognized the man¡¯s uniform: a Shinsengumi

Crap 

Crap

I knew he wouldn¡¯t give me time to explain, no- he wouldn¡¯t give me time-

  
He was to think that I had murdered this man¡¦.why did I always get in trouble like this?

  
Damn that Miburo- the blood in my hands would be instant proof that I had killed this man.

No he wouldn¡¯t give me a chance- their stupid motto: Aku Soku Zan¡¦.he¡¯ll instantly kill me.

I jumped up, my hands at my back reaching for my dagger.

My shoulder was wounded, I was in no condition for battle, I pivoted and ran.

Run Takagi, my mind screamed, my shoulder burning again, I could feel the pair of running footsteps behind me.

¡°Oh no you don¡¯t¡± a deep voice whispered, close. 

A warm air blew on my neck as the voice had spoke.

Surprised by the closeness of his voice, my eyes widened, my legs weakening, and a sharp jab on my burning shoulder pushed me forward.

By gods the pain was excruciating, my eyes could dimly see sparks and stars, my body leaned forward- falling, I cried out.

A sudden strong arm held me and dragged me back, forcing me up against a wall.

Struggling weakly, I finally gave up, raising my head to see my attacker.

I gasped silently

My eyes had locked on a pair of amber-wolf like eyes.

The burning torturous pain my shoulder was feeling had increased, from my dry lips escaped a moan.

Focus idiot

I forced myself to look again at those frightening yellow eyes.

My right hand slowly making its way to my dagger¡¦.

¡°What do you want from me Shinsengumi?¡± my voice cracked, unable to hide the surprise in my voice that he had not killed me already. 

The dagger¡¦.so close- 

NOW!

As my hand closed around the hilt of my dagger, I slashed at my attacker¡¯s arms.

The Shinsengumi easily dodged my petty attack, his lips slowly curving up to an amused smile.

¡°Damn bastard¡± I grunted as I aimed for his face.

Moving at an inhuman like speed, the Miburo sidestepped my assault, and grabbed my attacking arm.

¡°A woman with a dagger is hardly a light matter- you should not have taken this weapon so easily¡± the Shinsengumi¡¯s frighteningly cold face darkened, his grip on my arm tightening.

Refusing to let go of my dagger, I painfully raised my other weak arm in attempt to slap him.

The wolf¡¯s other hand quickly reached and stopped my other arm, his fingers still crushing my trembling one.

With both of my hands useless and pinned, my eyes threatened to cry in pain and in shame.

Unable to bear the pain, my hand finally released the dagger.

The fallen object clattered noisily on the floor.

Still the Shinsengumi had me captured, not ready to let me go that easily.

Sweat slowly poured my face, drenching my clothes.

The Shinsengumi still did not make an effort to release me, his cold fiery eyes studying me.

¡°Let go of me¡± I whispered, no energy, no hope.

I was weaponless.

The Shinsengumi slowly smiled, a strange light flickering his eyes.

A cold terror seized my heart.

He wasn¡¯t going to-? 

I¡¯ve heard rumors of the Shinsengumi¡¯s violent attack rapes on young women¡¦. I did not want to find out if it were true. 

The fear gave me more fighting ki, I struggled meekly and the Shinsengumi nonchalantly tightened his grip.

As if reading my thoughts, the wretched man let me go, the sudden withdrawal of his iron grip stunned me, ¡°Do not worry girl- The Shinsengumi have more honor than you think they have.¡±

I weakly slid down to the ground, my good hand nursing my crushed one.

His strong voice still carried on, ¡°You seem like an innocent girl Takagi san, but it takes one to know one- what were you doing by the old man?¡±

Takagi san?

He knew who I was?

A stalker?

I should¡¯ve been more cautious- 

The Shinsengumi slowly kneeled down, his eyes focused on me.

¡°Answer me girl¡± his voice grew softer, a hint of threat behind those words.

Silence

His hand steadily moved the bangs from my face and tilted my face to him. ¡°Look at me and answer¡±

I stared widely at his face; from the moonlight- I could see the Shinsengumi¡¯s dark fine eyebrows, narrow studying eyes, straight nose-

¡°I did not kill the man¡± I managed to speak.

With one of his eyebrows arched, he pressed, ¡°What did you see?¡±

Confused, I pushed his hand away, ¡°I saw nothing- the man had been dead an hour ago¡±

Slowly the Miburo stood up

I continued unsteadily, ¡°Another girl found the man dead already- I told everyone that I was to bury him- he had no family¡±

¡°From the look of his wounds he seems to have been murdered¡± I quietly added my eyes fixed on the ground.

Silent from the Miburo, ¡°I trust your words Takagi san-¡± he paused ¡°but do not get yourself involved in this case any longer¡±

I didn¡¯t answer.

He finally turned to leave, but I grasped desperately at his sleeve, ¡°Wait¡±

Although he did not answer, he stopped.

¡°I think I know who did this-¡± I cried, ¡°he-¡±

¡°Takagi san there are many assassins out here during war-¡±

¡°His name is Choruke- I-I fought him days ago- although I¡¯m not sure whether he was killed- the slash on the old man¡¯s chest was of only Choruke¡¯s style¡±

¡°If you value your life- forget your meaningless thoughts of revenge- the Shinsengumi will take care of him¡±

My eyes widened, ¡°You- You knew-?¡±

The man finally turned, and smirked, ¡°I have seen you fight the Choruke in vain Takagi- you had your chance¡¦..you have witnessed Choruke¡¯s strength with your own eyes- do not attempt to fight him any longer¡±

I gaped at him, ¡°You were there? You-You were the one-¡±

With a mysterious smile, the Shinsengumi walked away, ¡°Good night Takagi san- listen to your father and rest- a life as a warrior is not a glamorous one for the wealthy daughter of Kojuurou¡±

A flash of anger erupted.

Was he a spy for Souji?

Damn the Shinsengumi.

As the man disappeared in the dark, I regained myself and collected my dagger. 

Without another look behind, I ran home.


	4. marriage

Author¡¯s Note: Thanks to the few people who have reviewed my chapters so far ^^;;Well¡¦..back to

Fire

I slashed forward, my body slid and spun, I finally bought my blow down and stopped midway reversing the blade sideways.

Damn him.

I cut through the side, my right leg behind my left- I then swung upwards

Curse him.

The memory of that blasted Shinsengumi had occupied my thoughts since yesterday.

Who the hell did he think he was-

I fluidly sliced the air 

And- who the hell was he?

I angrily tossed my sword aside, briefly wiping the sweat off my brow.

I sadly looked at my abandoned weapon, I had to train alone now¡¦¡¦nobody to help me finish my training¡¦

¡°Ijaou san¡¦..¡± my heart was still heavy with sorrow.

I groaned, my shoulder ached but was healing much faster than before.

My thoughts were once again consumed by the Miburo I had met last night.

I growled inwardly at my stupidity and weakness- wishing that I could go back in time and beat the heck out of that Shinsengumi.

Last night I had rushed to sneak back home only to realize that the dead old man was still lying by himself in the streets.

I had sprinted back to bury the poor man in nearby lonely grassland and ran back home smelling like dirt and blood.

I barely escaped my father¡¯s notice and had trouble washing bloodstains on me. Exhausted from the night¡¯s events I had wearily begun to rest only to still feel the sting of humiliation the cursed Shinsengumi had caused. 

Ever since last night the Shinsengumi and the death of the old man had plagued my mind, I bitterly thought.

¡°Tokio san¡±

I turned from my thoughts and looked up.

It was Hiriko san the small young maid 

¡°Yes?¡± I smiled putting my sheathed my sword.

¡°I brought you some food¡± the maid held up a small plate of fruits, ¡° You work too hard Tokio san¡±

¡°Thank you Hiriko san¡± I accepted the plate and sat down

¡°Tokio san- where were you last night?¡±

The question immediately left me stunned and amazed, ¡°What do you mean Hiriko?¡±

The young maid blushed, ¡°I was to check up on you in orders of your father but you were gone-¡±

¡°Eh?!?!¡± my eyes wide, ¡°I-I was under the covers!!¡±

¡°But there were clothes sticking out from the blanket¡±

I fell, disappointed at my inability to fool my own maid.

¡°Eh¡¦¡¦¡± I helplessly thought

¡°Don¡¯t worry Tokio san¡± Hiriko said, ¡°I didn¡¯t tell your father¡±

My heart leaped, ¡°Thank you¡±

¡°I guess you wouldn¡¯t want to tell me where you went Tokio san¡± Hiriko murmured, ¡°Huh? What happened to your shoulder?¡±

I reflexively jerked back at her touch.

¡°Do you want me to treat it-¡±

I glared, ¡°Of course not!¡±

¡°Eh¡¦¡¦well okay¡± Hiriko grinned hesitantly, ¡°I overheard an interesting conversation between your father and his friend¡±

I bit into a fruit, ¡°Mmmph?¡±

¡°Well- your father wants you to marry by the end of this season¡±

¡°MMPHA?!¡± I spat out the fruit and hissed, ¡°WHAT?¡±

Hiriko grinned proudly, ¡°You will be a wife soon Tokio san!¡±

¡°I-I don¡¯t want to marry, Hiriko!¡± I fiercely exclaimed, ¡°And besides- I¡¯ll be a bad wife¡±

Hiriko snorted, ¡°Well you will marry sooner or later¡±

¡°I refuse!¡±

¡°But!¡±

¡°I¡¯m never going to marry a stranger I won¡¯t love¡± I defiantly spoke

¡°You will grow to love Tokio san¡±

¡°Eh!¡± I scowled, ¡°I¡¯m not even beautiful to make my husband love me¡±

Hiriko stared at me, ¡°What are you talking about Tokio san?¡±

I grinned, ¡°I¡¯m a tomboy- a rebel to our society- you want to make a bet that the person I¡¯ll marry will instantly divorce me?¡±

Hiriko gasped, ¡°No- Tokio san! Don¡¯t be stupid! (I snorted) You¡¯re beautiful! You have your beautiful dark hair, those sensitive bright grey eyes,- a perfect smile- well not if you smile like a maniac-like you had been just before¡±

¡°Don¡¯t flatter me¡± I dismissed

¡°It¡¯s the truth! If only you¡¯d stop your sword practicing and started to wear a kimono and makeup, every man in town would ask your hand in marriage¡±

I shrugged, ¡° I can¡¯t give up sword fighting Hiriko¡±

¡°Why not Tokio san?¡±

I swallowed the fruit, ¡°Then who¡¯s going to protect our family Hiriko?¡±

¡°Certainly not you¡±

¡°Then who?¡±

¡°¡¦¡¦.Well-well¡¦..your future husband of course!¡±

I smiled distantly, ¡°You¡¯re hopeless Hiriko san¡±

Hiriko laughed, ¡°So are you Tokio san¡±

Hiriko finally left the room muttering about burning the rice or whatever.

Feeling refreshed and happy by the weather, I strolled outside, the sky was light blue with soft patches of clouds floating above, the nice warm sun melting on my face, the cool wind blowing against my cheeks¡¦..

¡°Ahhhhh¡± I contently stretched

I stopped when I got to the markets. Construction and rebuilding ¡¦.after that horrible night

I quietly encouraged the groups of men that worked hard with their steel hammers and woody ladders.

The smell of burning was still here, but most of the ashes have been cleared out.

I walked for a few minutes until I stopped by a vacant building.

Ijaou¡¯s bakery¡¦..

Thankfully, it had not been burnt to the ground. In fact the building had not been touched at all.

Heart pounding, I entered the small store.

The smell of dust, smoke, and fresh bread made me cough.

I could smell Ijaou here too¡¦.

I missed him.

Instantly, my eyes instantly welled up.

Darn- I promised myself not to cry-

I quickly staggered out.

¡°Eh?¡± I blinked when I noticed a group of Shinsengumi soldiers wandering aimlessly around shouting for identification.

Not wanting to get picked by a Shinsengumi, I quickly quickened my pace.

¡°Beautiful morning isn¡¯t it?¡± a loud abrupt cheery voice made me spring up in surprise. 

¡°Okita san?¡± I gaped at the captain¡¯s seemingly innocent smile.

¡°I never thought you knew my first name Tokio!¡± Okita Souji grinned

¡°I wouldn¡¯t have if you weren¡¯t so notorious in Kyoto¡± I dryly replied but felt a little better talking to the captain.

Okita chuckled weakly as he smothered another violent cough.

I felt eyes on me as I looked around. 

Yes, it must look strange for a little female Kyoto citizen to be talking casually to the hateful Shinsengumi. 

My voice dropped to a whisper, ¡°Okita san-¡±

¡°Okita, you shouldn¡¯t be here¡± a deep familiar voice called.

¡°Saitou san!¡± Okita muffled a cough, motioning a Shinsengumi to come here.

Who was that familiar Shinsengumi- I¡¯ve met him somewhere-

Those cold amber eyes.

That strange fire in those eyes.

It was-

Him.

Shit.

¡°Saitou- meet Tokio san, she¡¯s the Takagi heir¡± Okita cheerfully motioned to me.

The tall Miburo seemed not a bit surprised- his eyes ran over me once and did not look at me again.

¡°Tokio san- this is Saitou Hajime of Shinsengumi¡¯s third squad" Okita said

Blood rushing up my face.

I could feel the pounding of my veins.

The iron grip of his hand

The hard knock on my burning shoulder

My eyes widened.

That sculpted stone face, that cruel smile¡¦.

A dark confused wave hardened Okita¡¯s boyish face, ¡°Were the two of you introduced before?¡±

From far away I could hear myself reply in a faint voice, ¡°W-well- h-he does kind of look familiar¡±

A grunt came from the wolf with yellow eyes.

A hesitant voice came from Okita, ¡°Yes- I should go through the east market- bye Tokio san¡±

With one last look at me, Okita sprinted, and yelled for his men to follow him.

¡°Why are you gaping at me Takagi? Hasn¡¯t your father taught you a few manners?¡± a soft mocking voice woke me up.

I blinked.

¡°Excuse me?¡± a hiss escaped from my lips

With a smirk, Saitou Hajime walked before briefly touching my heavily bandaged shoulder.

Pain flared up.

I bit myself from wincing, and gave that bastard a defiant smile.

¡°Until we meet again Tokio san¡± he whispered in my ear as he passed.

Confused, I stared after him, walking lazily away, his black hair shining in the sunlight.

Who did he think he was?

Angrily, I stomped the other way.

¡°I¡¯ve checked the east markets- it¡¯s all cleared¡± Okita absentmindly murmured, a worried expression etched on his face.

I resisted a sigh.

¡°Saitou- san sir!¡±

Irritating amateur

I was getting annoyed

I glanced at the recruit who was shaking, ¡°Sir- another body- found dead and this time a young girl¡±

My mind flashed to the Takagi girl.

¡°What¡¯s her identification?¡± 

¡°Tachike, Hikari- sir¡±

¡°Where is this body?¡±

¡°Already buried- but was found to be dead throughout last night¡±

A spark of interest.

¡°Last night? Where?¡±

¡°The west district-¡±

¡°That¡¯s where Takagi resides!¡± Okita bursted

¡°Well-y-yes sir¡±

¡°You may leave¡± Okita commanded, watching the recruit scramble out.

Mysterious deaths of citizens living around the Takagi residence¡¦.how¡¦.convenient-

Were these deaths a threat? A mockery? A trap?

I idly fingered the hilt of my sword.

¡°Saitou- we¡¯re going to the Takagi residence at night¡± Okita¡¯s face was masked with seriousness

¡°Very well- my sword has been dying for blood¡±

Okita sternly watched me, ¡°Aku Soku Zan Saitou san- we must destroy him quickly, and there will be no witnesses¡±

I raised an eyebrow, ¡°What about the Takagi? Wouldn¡¯t they want to see him dead?¡±

Okita sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t want this to get personal for them Saitou san- we must finish our job efficiently¡±

¡°Very well Okita¡± I paused. 

Justice demands blood.

¡°But the death blow of Choruke will be mine¡±

Author¡¯s Notes: Yeah I kno I kinda suck at writing but please excuse whatever problems you have with my story¡¦.I¡¯m kinda new at writing so bear with me T~T

Well I just got into the Rurouni Kenshin series about two months ago and I¡¯m not really familiar with the dates/specific info.

Please ppl- REVIEW I need to kno what im doing here T_____T how my process goes ¡®cause yur reviews make me feel motivated and encouraged!!!!

ITS ALL UP TO YOU READERS!! YOU HAVE THE POWER!!! So stare at that nice friendly box in the left corner and click it¡¦..

^^;;;;

Anyway sorry about the long speech xD

Until next time¡¦¡¦¡¦

Dark Myst~*


	5. Death II

¡°I¡¯m soooo tired¡± I yawned, my hand politely covering my mouth at my father¡¯s stern stare.

¡°Tokio san¡± Hiriko took my shopping basket and stared at it.

¡°What?¡± I asked at her stunned look.

¡°Y-you didn¡¯t buy anything¡± Hiriko stated, tapping on the hollow basket, ¡°You¡¯ve been out all day!¡±

¡°Oh¡± 

¡°Tokio- we need to talk¡± my father interrupted, his eyes raised expectantly at Hiriko.

Blushing lightly, Hiriko bowed and exited the main room.

¡°Father?¡±

I hesitantly watched my father pace back and forth, his hands at his back, his eyes filled with hard concentration.

He stopped. The angry lines on his face disappeared. His face softened.

¡°H-How do you feel Tokio?¡±

¡°Eh¡± I stammered, ¡°I feel fine?¡±

¡°Good good¡±

I stared.

¡°Well a young man came up to me- asking your hand in marriage¡± my father cautiously worded, ¡°So what do you say?¡±

My jaws dropped.

So Hiriko had heard correctly.

Even so-

¡°Who¡¯s the man?¡± I stuttered, heat coming to my face.

¡°Son of a rich noble man- named Arugun¡± father replied.

Living a life as a rich wife of a great noble man¡¦..

I never imagined my life like that.

I never wished to live like that¡¦¡¦

Besides- I hated-

Behind father, the door opened slightly after a few knocks.

¡°Come in¡±

¡°Takagi sir!¡± a young man dressed as a fighter entered the room.

Something flashed through my father¡¯s eyes.

Was it anger?

Or was it fear?

¡°What is it?¡± my father glanced apologetically at me, ¡°Tokio- if you will excuse us?¡±

¡°Of course father¡± with one last glance at the young man I walked out slowly closing the door.

Who was he?

Unable to fight my curiosity, I silently crept back to the door and pressed my ear against it.

¡°Takagi sir, there is an emergency¡¦..¡±

¡°What emergency?¡±

¡°It¡¯s been reported that an assassin is searching for you-¡± 

My father¡¯s icy voice dropped into a low whisper, ¡°Tell me something I do not know¡±

¡°We need to make an alliance with these threats Takagi- we need to join troops with the Ishinshishi¡¦¡¦and only then may we get peace and safety for you and your family¡±

¡°I will not be threatened into the Ishinshishi¡± my father¡¯s voice was steadily rising, ¡°We are no threat- we are neutral in this war¡±

¡°That is why you are being damaged!¡± the young man¡¯s voice matched my father¡¯s volume, ¡°You have followers- a decent number of young men under your control- you must do something with them to help this war!¡±

¡°Fool!¡± my father hissed

Silence.

The young man started again, ¡°Your assassin are from the Ishinshishi- they think you are with the Shinsengumi and the-¡±

A chuckle, ¡°Fools¡±

¡°Please Takagi san- please end these deaths. You must go to war to end war¡±

¡°Bah! Do not irritate me Yanoke! I know the real reason that have caused the deaths of my sons¡±

A surprised cry came from the young man, ¡°Nonsense¡±

¡°And besides- I owe the Shinsengumi- they saved my daughter from the hands of that assassin¡±

My eyes widened.

I always thought my father was a great legendary samurai, now an old veteran. Never did I think he had access to soldiers and-

¡°Then it¡¯s settled, the Takagi are not neutral- they will fight against the Ishinshishi¡±

A dry laugh, ¡°No Yanoke, we will remain neutral¡±

¡°If you do- you will die, your daughter will die, and they invade your lands, wealth, soldiers, and more¡± a frustrated sigh, ¡°Do something about it Takagi san! I beg of you¡±

¡°You are a young soldier- under my orders Yanoke¡± my father suddenly coughed, ¡°It is not your turn to fight yet.¡±

¡°Yes sir¡± a tired reply, 

I quickly backed away from the opening door, and faced the red faced man.

¡°Excuse me¡± the man grunted walking away.

I sighed.

¡°Tokio san¡± Hiriko¡¯s voice called.

¡°Eh?¡±

¡°Dinner¡¯s ready Tokio san- please call your father¡±

¡°Hai¡±

¡°I¡¯ve already heard¡± my father appeared behind me with a forced smile, ¡°Come let¡¯s eat¡±

I could feel something.

A dark presence.

A wave of evil

I turned and twisted in sleep. My constant ominous feelings were keeping me awake.

It must be midnight or later¡¦..I¡¯ve already woken twenty times.

Unable to take it anymore, I threw off my blanket and stood up. 

Maybe because of these recent events I can¡¯t-

I rubbed my eyes.

I was tired 

My ears perked up.

Shouting?

Was someone shouting outside?

I cautiously looked out the window- squinting under the moonlight.

Three figures right outside- no wait a fourth was appearing.

I looked closely¡¦¡¦ two of them were men¡¦..swords¡¦¡¦the Shinsengumi!

My mouth dried, as my eyes recognized the third figure, that assassin¡¦..

  
The assassin that killed Ijaou- Choruke! And-

Frozen, I finally made out the fourth shadow. 

A middle aged man- with his katana out- familiar¡¦..

¡°Father¡±

Shit

My father was out there! 

I forced my legs to obey, as I clumsily walked the frozen legs to grab my katana.

Father

You crazy fool

He¡¯s going to kill you.

I opened the window quickly¡¦¡¦

I had to go

I needed to protect him

He was my only family

He-

I jumped outside, landing lightly on my toes, creeping between trees of our outside garden; I made my way out through the gates.

¡°Die old fool¡± a throaty cry ripped through the air.

Father!

I pushed the heavy gates.

¡°Tokio!¡± my father¡¯s eyes widened as he saw me.

¡°Look out!¡± 

I couldn¡¯t shout, horrified at the assassin leaping up at the sky and downward to- me¡¦¡¦

¡°No!¡± I gaped in horror as my father pushed me away.

What are you doing father?

I couldn¡¯t move.

Frozen.

My legs made of ice.

The katana in my hand dropped.

A sudden splash of red spurting from my father¡¯s chest¡¦¡¦

No

I backed away reflexively avoiding the blood that sprayed from the body.

The body of my father.

He¡¯s dead.

NO.

I ran to the fallen body and touched his face.

No, not again- please.

Don¡¯t make me cry

I don¡¯t want to.

Father- Otousan

Blood seeping through my fingers.

My god, how could one have so much blood? So much-

My father¡¯s blank eyes studied my face, ¡°Tokio¡± his mouth silently moved and quickly stopped.

No please.

I felt fire again.

Pain.

Heat.

The shock were like waves of pain hitting me over and over and over¡¦..

¡°Tokio san¡± a soft voice murmured.

A sudden different voice, ¡°Get up¡±, a forceful hand led me away from the body.

No- I can¡¯t leave him!

I recklessly turned to slap him.

As quick as the wind, he grabbed my hand.

Déjà vu?

My eyes widened

Saitou Hajime.

My eyes traveled to his companion-

Of course- Souji- 

The assassin, Choruke, running to me- his sword out, already dark red with blood.

Quickly, Okita sped past me his face grim and set.

I watched dully, as he drew his katana and slashed at the assassin.

The assassin quickly rolled away, but Okita managed to cut his leg.

¡°Choruke¡± Okita managed to say, ¡°You deserve to be killed¡±

Unable to respond Choruke instead snarled, Okita quickly whirled, his katana swiftly decapitating Choruke¡¯s head.

¡°Looks like you had the honor this time¡± Saitou besides me frowned.

My eyes locked on his.

Saitou¡¯s cold face- all a blur.

Blurry.

No-

I¡¯m crying

No- I hate feeling- feeling this hot fire- pain¡¦¡¦

Not in front of the Shinsengumi-

No.

A cascade of tears ran down my face.

All of them¡¦¡¦ I saw the bodies of all my family after death.

I have seen each of my brothers¡¯ fallen body- and now-

I turned away from the wolf¡¯s piercing stare.

I shook my head fiercely, this was not my fault.

No not my fault

You could have done something-

But I didn¡¯t

Because- because I was afraid to die.

Selfish

You deserve to die.

The voices in my head were growing louder.

I suddenly turned back to that damned Shinsengumi, the contempt and accusation in my eyes clear.

My hands tightened to fists, ¡°Curse you- why didn¡¯t you do anything?¡±

The wolf¡¯s eyes flashed.

No- he could see me cry- why was I so weak?

Why am I crying?

¡°Why did you let him kill my father? Why?¡± I struck at him.

He quickly got a hold of both of my hands. My fists.

¡°Let go of me!¡± I choked, ¡°Let go! Damn you-¡±

I suddenly felt him loosen his grip, I freed one of my fists and weakly pounded his chest.

¡°Curse the Shinsengumi! Curse them!¡± I wildly cried, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you save them? Why didn¡¯t you save them?¡±

Energy draining from my fist- my body, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you let me die like him?¡±

I exhaustedly leaned on that wretched Shinsengumi for support; the pain was engulfing my ki. 

My soul.

I buried myself into the Shinsengumi¡¯s jacket and cried.

Faintly, I felt a protective arm around my trembling back.

I inhaled deeply. A scent of masculine smell, the sole scent of Saitou Hajime.

A deep voice of Saitou Hajime whispering in my ear, ¡°There¡¯s always pain in war Tokio san¡±

Tears splashing at the Shinsengumi¡¯s jacket.

I hope it ruins it.

The tears fell faster.

Let my pain ease.

A light hand in my shoulder, Okita¡¯s voice, ¡°Shhhh Tokio san, it¡¯s over¡±

It may be over Okita san

But the aching of my heart will never be over.

¡°Let me be¡± I slowly pushed Saitou and staggered backwards, ¡°I need to bury him¡±

I turned to my father¡¯s body-

Blood- blood

Red

Crimson

Beautifully sickening¡¦¡¦

Disgusted and nauseated by the smell of blood I fell heavily on the ground, my vision blurring and slowly blacking out.

AN: xP


	6. Healing

Fire

I dimly paid any close attention to the soft comfort words of sympathizers.

There was no water- not one relief to the scorching fire in my heart.

But I was able to keep this pain well hidden.

I watched as they buried my father in the death ceremony I have seen too many times.

I caught sight of Hiriko crying softly her eyes swollen- her face never dry.

The cool wind swept my light bangs, waving irritably on my face.

My eyes drifted towards the crowds of people who have attended this funeral.

So many faces, my eyes scanning every familiar face.

So many sad faces.

No joy

  
No gladness

No happiness

It was so depressing.

My eyes slowly landed on Souji Okita who had a rare frown on his sorrowful face.

Almost expectantly, I looked for the other Shinsengumi¡¦.what¡¯s his name

Saitou Hajime

He wasn¡¯t here.

My eyes dropped to the ground.

Slowly one by one, the viewers of this funeral left, their sadness and pain forgotten.

I remained, silently looking at my father¡¯s grave.

A shadow appeared next to mine, I looked up.

¡°So much grief during war- it¡¯s killing me¡± I softly said.

¡°You¡¯re strong Tokio san- I know you will be able to bear this¡± Okita¡¯s soft voice lingered.

With a gentle smile he continued, ¡°Your spirit is of a warrior¡¯s- you¡¯ll be able to conquer your emotions Tokio san¡±

I nodded numbly.

¡°Thank you Okita san¡±

¡°Of course¡±

I stared blankly at the sky.

¡°Do you still hate the Shinsengumi Tokio san?¡±

The question threw me off guard.

¡°I understand why you dislike us Tokio san- we claim to protect Kyoto, but we could not save your family¡¦¡¦is that why?¡±

I could not reply.

Souji nodded in acceptance and slowly walked away, ¡°I will see you soon Takagi san- if fate allows it¡±

His footsteps grew lighter and lighter until he disappeared completely leaving me by myself.

Feeling the emptiness in the air

The silence

The quiet

Not a soul here.

I was alone.

I let my wave of sadness out.

I cried and cried- not an end to my grief.

I will overcome.

I barely noticed a frightened citizen swiftly walking away once his eyes caught the sight of the Shinsengumi troops patrolling during the evening.

I walked back into the inn, the loud partying noise of my men was deafening, the smell of alcohol and smoke almost welcoming.

After a day¡¯s work-

I wanted a drink.

¡°Saitou sama¡± a man from a group of amateurs approached.

I made no effort to show that I was listening. Instead I slowly allowed a flood of alcohol to rinse my throat.

¡°Saitou sama¡± the man spoke over the loud noise.

I glanced at him before drinking another gulp of sake.

¡°What is it?¡± I softly asked my eyes narrowing.

¡°C-Could we join you in a drink sir?¡± the Shinsengumi coughed

One of my eyebrows raised, I turned back to my drink.

The idiot fidgeted before cautiously smiling, ¡°We heard that you killed yet another assassin from the Ishinshishi sir¡±

I took another take at the alcohol, ¡°So¡¦¡¦. is that what you have heard?¡±

¡°Yes sir!¡±

¡°Very good¡¦¡¦now get back out- you get to patrol for another extra four hours¡± I smothered a smirk

¡°S-sir¡± the man gulped, his eyes widening, ¡°I¡¯ve been patrolling all day¡±

I slowly allowed my eyes to lock on his widening eyes, ¡°Is that so?¡±

A sudden dawn of intelligence crept into the man¡¯s eyes, ¡°E-Er no- I¡¯ll go out right now sir¡±

¡°Of course¡±

I watched the man stutter an answer and hurry outside, I turned back to my drink.

I allowed a sigh to escape my lips.

The irritation of new recruits, I mused, filling my cup with sake.

News travel fast.

Well- rumors- Okita had the glory of ending Choruke.

I lifted my cup and drank the sharp liquid, allowing it to burn my throat.

A hazy image of that Takagi girl flickered in my mind.

I grunted with disgust, shrugging the memory away.

It was a relief to have the old man Takagi out of the Shinsengumi¡¯s business. I grinned wryly, ironic how the Ishinshishi had done the dirty work for us.

I swallowed another gulp of sake.

Tokio¡¦...if that fool of a girl had not witnessed her father¡¯s death- yes she would definitely become another problem for the Shinsengumi.

She had blamed the Shinsengumi for his death.

After one nuisance dies another troublemaker pops right back up.

I shook my head as I poured myself another take of alcohol.

Those grey eyes.

So much emotions I have felt from her ki

I remember the sympathy I had felt for that damned girl from seeing her tears.

I have seen many forms of pain in war- seen innocent people¡¯s tainted and stained from death- but they never brought out the sympathy from me. Just inspiration to the Aku Soku Zan.

Until my eyes had fixed on those clouded silver eyes.

Dismissively, I chased the memory of the smell of her hair and the wetness of her tears

¡°Saitou-?¡±

My eyes drifted to look for the source of the voice.

A tall roguish man grinned, ¡°Saitou- I haven¡¯t seen you here in a while¡±

¡°Harada Sanosuke- your company has been always a pleasure¡± I allowed the sarcasm to flow from my mouth.

He laughed and shrugged, ¡°Let me get some sake¡±

I motioned to the drink.

He pulled one of his recruit¡¯s arm, ¡°Hey you kid, get me a clean cup!¡±

He let go of the flustered boy, who scurried off yelling for a cup.

I slowly rose and gave a small nod to the captain, ¡°I¡¯m going out- look out for my men¡±

¡°Of course¡¯- yer responsibility is mine- see you Saitou¡± Harada waved contently sipping on his drink.

Free from the loud noise and musky smell, I finally inhaled fresh air, noting the chill in the air.

A feeling of discomfort nudged me irritably. Like an annoying splinter¡¦¡¦.

Ah- yes perhaps a visit to the Takagi manor¡¦¡¦..

¡°It¡¯s okay Hiriko¡± I awkwardly comforted my maid, her nonstop blubbering and cries threatened me to join her.

The irony, I wryly thought, that I should comfort her instead of her comforting me¡¦¡¦.

¡°I¡¯m-I¡¯m so sorry Tokio san!¡± the maid wailed her face buried in my kimono.

¡°Hiriko!¡± I let the sternness in my voice take over, ¡°Stop this now!¡±

The poor lady whimpered and struggled to strain her tears, ¡°S-S-Sorry Tokio san- it must-must be harder for you¡±

I nodded weakly, holding the woman upright, ¡°Come- let¡¯s get some sleep¡±

¡°Y-Yes of course Tokio san-¡± she staggered drunkenly to her quarters. ¡°If you need me Tokio san- please wake me up¡±

I nodded assuring her, the heavy feeling in my stomach slowly lifted as I saw her figure disappear in the hall.

¡°Aai¡± exhausted I flopped down on the ground, 

Dammit I left the front gates open.

Softly, I crept outside, yes the gates-

My eyes widened.

The gates were closed.

I was so sure I did not have time to close those gates because I had to drag Hiriko back into the house.

My eyes studied- confused¡¦.oh

Maybe I was really tired- I rubbed my eyes and felt my cold cheeks- the weather was getting colder¡¦¡¦

¡°I would have thought that your thick head would realize the dangers of Kyoto by now, Tokio san¡± a deep mocking voice caught me by such surprise.

I jumped, my eyes frantically looking around for the intruder- it was so dark¡¦¡¦.

I let out a sharp gasp as my eyes landed on a pair of gold eyes.

My eyes- silver staring back at golden ones¡¦¡¦.

Recognition-

¡°Saitou san¡± I choked, ¡°What the hell do you think your doing here?¡±

¡°I wouldn¡¯t be in here if you hadn¡¯t so invitingly opened your front gates¡± that sarcasm again.

My eyes widened as the man stepped out from the shadows.

I breathed.

¡°I¡¯m impressed at your recovery from the last time we met¡± Saitou¡¯s oddly pleasant face studied my flushed ones.

¡°You¡¯re trespassing¡± my voice steadily rose; I defiantly reopened the gates and pointed out.

His bright eyes slowly traveled from my face to my finger, ¡°Yes- welcoming indeed¡±

I tiredly dropped my arm and glared at him, ¡°What would a Shinsengumi like yourself want?¡±

Pleased, Captain Saitou nodded, ¡°It is cold outside- and too open for unwanted ears- shall we talk inside?¡±

Studying him, I cautiously shut the gates and locked them, ¡°Very well-¡±

¡°Good¡± he turned and entered ahead into my house.

Relief spread over me.

Damn you Tokio my mind screamed.

Why is his presence such a comfort to you?

The feeling of a Shinsengumi in my house- well

I felt secure and protected.

A blush invaded my cold cheeks.

Baka Tokio, you¡¯re senseless¡¦¡¦.

A.N.: Sorry guys its so short- but I have a lot of work to do @_@ AHHHHHHH the torture of high school¡¦¡¦¡¦

Thanks guys fer reviewing- see you later in the next chapter-

Dark Myst~*


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